Great article, thanks. I had no idea he had been in so many movies! So far I have seen his dramas except Harvest Villa, I will certainly try watching one of his movies soon.
This was a truly beautiful saeguk which I rated 10 hands down and which goes straight amongst my top favourites of 2014. A wonderful story and incredibly talented actors (in particular the King and the Prince!!) were indeed a winning combination here. I will certainly rewatch this in the future.
I am enjoying this drama as I see many similarities with Charles Dickens story called A Christmas Carol. I think there is a deep message behind this story and I am expecting some redeeming kind of ending. As far as the romance goes I agree that it is a little bit strange but also in this case I want to see how it will all end. In any case the acting of the three main leads here is excellent and I am enjoying the comedy part too.
For me it is very difficult to have a balanced opinion on this drama which is why I gave it a lowish rating of 6.5. The aspects that I liked and appreciated about it were certainly the excellent acting, the gorgeous and luxurious settings and the overall very refined and elegant atmosphere in which the story took place (with gorgeous outfits too).
However I have to admit that I could not get involved in the story nor empathize with the characters as it all seemed a little too cold and detached to me probably because in my head I was comparing it to Nodame Cantabile.
I felt more passionately involved in NC because the whole story seemed more real and spontaneous...in particular I preferred the character and personal growth of Nodame much more in comparison to Nae Il's. I also enjoyed the classical music more in the original version. In any case this is a good quality drama which I would have probably appreciated more if I hadn't seen NC beforehand and therefore had considered it as a stand alone story.
How is it possible to have so many detestable characters in one drama? I mean... Seriously. We're 12 episodes…
I agree that something really bad should happen to all the bad characters in this drama...but most of all I ask myself, how can these people suddenly decide to take away a child from his mother like that? I am always hoping that this drama is an exaggeration and that such extreme attitudes don't happen in real life. :-(
I enjoyed reading this article as it described perfectly well what I think of this drama. For me it is amongst the best of 2014 and it is headed to be rated 10 from me. All the characters are good and the actors are doing a wonderful job, but the two who really touch my heart are the King and the Prince...when they both talk to/argue with each other they show their feelings in such a powerful way that leaves me breathless. I'm loving the story so much and I will really miss this drama when it will be over.
I daresay this is the first rating of 10 that I gave amongst the 2014 Korean dramas seen up to now. For me this drama was absolutely perfect and kept me on the edge of my seat from the first minute to the last. The three main leads were superb in showing/not showing their emotions and I actually liked all the cast. The filming and the actual plot were amazing...I hope there will be a follow up to this. It made me want to watch the Japanese version anyhow even if I read that it is quite different.
I am enjoying this drama for now. In fact I am hoping that there will be some kind of message between the lines…
No, I am not a newbie (having watched almost 200 dramas on the whole) but in this drama a sentence was being repeated over and over in the first episodes which was . ' What you see is not everything'...which is why I am hoping that there might be a subtle positive message. In any case it's a good revenge story and the focus is not too much on external appearance any longer.
I am enjoying this drama for now. In fact I am hoping that there will be some kind of message between the lines about external appearance not being everything but we will see how it evolves seeing that there is also quite a dark side to the story.
I absolutely need to watch Gou as I've heard so many good things about it and I also need to pick up again Yae no Sakura which I have heard is just as good. I loved Empress Ki and also Queen Seon Duk and I am in the process of watching Jewel in the Palace. There are so many great historical dramas out there, thanks for writing this article.
Two words: Perfect review. Thanks for putting so well into words what I thought of this drama up to Ep. 13. I will also be keeping away from these writers and actors for a while.
This drama reminded me a lot of another great family drama called Smile You. Two of the main actors were also the same (the father and grandfather) and the plot was also more or less the same as two families were forced to live together (with many similar dinamics between family members). I liked the heart-warming feeling of the story and on the whole I enjoyed it and rated it 8. My favourite characters were the grandparents and the mother of the three daughters, Song Jung. Nevertheless there was an aspect that bothered me a lot and this was the appalling patronizing attitude of some of the parents towards their children (in particular that of Shin Ae) which went way over the bearable limit and I found it quite unrealistic that the children would accept such attitudes without batting an eye-lid. I just hope this doesn't happen in reality in the Korean society and that this is just an exaggeration of drama fiction.
This article is so true. I always feel very frustrated too when the villains don't get the punishments they deserve...one villain that I really hated and never got punished was Se Na in Rooftop prince...her character and her non-punishment pushed down my overall rating for this drama which I would have enjoyed much more otherwise.
Great article!! Personally I didn't read the manga and I only watched the first episode of the Japanese version a few years ago. I am enjoying this Korean version very much indeed and I am very intrigued by the plot and the great acting of the main leads. I might be tempted to go back to the Japanese version after I finish this just for curiosity.
Best Romance Drama: Witch's Romance
Best Comedy Drama: Fated to Love You
Best Romantic/Comedy Drama: Fated to Love You
Best Historical/Sageuk Drama: Secret Door/Empress Ki
Best Family Drama: Glorious Day
Best Action/Thriller/Suspense Drama: God's Gift
Best Melodrama: Endless Love
Best Actor: Jang Hyuk, Shin Sung Rok
Best Actress: Jang Na Ra, Gong Hyo Jin
Best Supporting Actor: Park Hae Jin, Jo Dong Hyeok
Best Supporting Actress: Kang So Ra, Go Ah Ra
Best Villain: Jeong Wung In (Park Yeong Tae in Endless Love)
Best Idol Actor: Kim Jae Joong (Triangle)
Best Couple: Lee Gun and Kim Mi Young in Fated to Love You
Best Kiss: Witch's Romance
Best Bromance: Dong Soo + Dong Woo + Dong Cheol (Triangle)
Best OST: Good-bye my Love Ailee (Fated to Love You)/It's OK It's Love
Most Overrated Drama: It's OK That's Love
Worst Drama: Secret Love Affair
However I have to admit that I could not get involved in the story nor empathize with the characters as it all seemed a little too cold and detached to me probably because in my head I was comparing it to Nodame Cantabile.
I felt more passionately involved in NC because the whole story seemed more real and spontaneous...in particular I preferred the character and personal growth of Nodame much more in comparison to Nae Il's. I also enjoyed the classical music more in the original version. In any case this is a good quality drama which I would have probably appreciated more if I hadn't seen NC beforehand and therefore had considered it as a stand alone story.